CONTINUING - DESIGN PROCESS - hanging sleeve

Part 7 -  Creating a wall art quilt - from start to finish.....

The hanging sleeve is the final step in the making of this quilt. To accommodate the bulk of the dowel I prefer to add some 'give' to the width of the sleeve.  This allows room on the back of the quilt for the rod, preventing its bulk from being seen from the front as a visible bump when the quilt is hung. Here's how I do that.

*Note - if you've missed the other posts, scroll back to see the entire process.

 Cut a 6" wide strip of fabric, measuring the width of the finished wall quilt - minus 2".  Fold each short end 1/4" to wrong side, press and repeat. Machine stitch the hem to secure the neatly finished edges.

 Fold the strip in half the length of the fabric and press.

 Bring each lengthwise raw edge to meet at the center fold, wrong sides together.

 Press to hold shape.

 Reposition fabric with raw edges meeting and stitch a 1/4" seam. from end to end.  

 Press seam open.

 Using the pressed folded lines as a guide, center & pin sleeve to wrong side of quilt, 1/4" from top edge of the quilt. This step provides the 'give' in the sleeve for the hanging rod.

Hand stitch in position. Note how the built in fabric margin helps to accommodate the hanging rod.  

I hope you've enjoyed this step-by-step photo journey of the making of 

4 GREEN TREES.  As I said when it started about 10 days ago, anyone who has ever made a quilt already knows how time consuming, yet rewarding the task is.  Hopefully this has educated and inspired non-quilters to appreciate and perhaps own my work.....  The completed piece will be posted tomorrow.